Rail-chair.



A. G. LIEBMANN.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1913.

1, 126,520, Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

UNTTE STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

AUGUST G. LIEBMANN, 0F BUTTE, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR T0 VIGNOLES RAIL CHAIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPORATION 013 DELAWARE.

BAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST G. LIEBMANN, citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track appliances and particularly to rail chairs.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a chair which, while it may be used for all purposes; that is, under practically all conditions, for supporting a rail against the stresses to which it is sub jected, yet which is particularly adapted for use in cuts where the drainage is poor and there is a seepage of water in the roadbed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair which may be used both in temporary and permanent track structures, and which is particularly adapted for use upon tangents in both earth and rock ballast.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chair which may be used on a tie which is in such poor condition that it would otherwise be taken from the track and discarded, and also used upon a perfect tie to prolong the life thereof.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chair so constructed that vertical and lateral thrusts and tipping thrusts are fully resisted and the rail held down permanently upon the tie.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chair so constructed that relatively thick shims may be used for elevating the rail without the necessity of removing the primary fastenings of the chair to the tie.

A further object of the invention is the provision of fastening means permitting the rail to be shifted slightly laterally.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

The improved rail chair is particularly designed for use in the north central and northwestern States region. The general nature of the soil in this region is such that all railroads therein, to a greater or less extent, are troubled by seepage of water into outs, much of the lake country being of a swampy nature. Slides in cuts gradually crowd the track out of alinement and it is necessary to more or less constantly realine the track. Climatic conditions considered, it is necessary to use extra thick shims for the purpose of properly alining and surfacing parts of the track in winter months so as to carry the trafic temporarily without disturbance of the primary tie fastenings or injury to the tie.

Where screw spikes are used for holding a rail upon a wooden tie it is very ditlicult to shift the rail laterally or to elevate it by means of shims. It is oftentimes necessary to shift the tie itself in order to shift the rail and even where the spikes may be withdrawn and redriven, the spikes do not hold securely or the respiking of the tie injures it. Under the conditions of timber in the country at the present time the average life of inferior wood ties, untreated, under heavy traffic, is less than two years and hence eX- pensive tie treatment is unwarranted. By providing a rail chair having a relatively wide base resting upon the tie and which providesfor ready adjustment of the rail both vertically and laterally, it is possible to greatly increase the life of the tie so that under good treatment to prevent decay, the life of a tie will be brought up to three or four times the present average life of an untreated tie. Railroads do not care to treat ties where the average life of the tie is only two years. If, however, it is possible to prolong the life of a tie railroads will adopt a treatment therefor. Thus if mechanical wear on the tie is eliminated it is possible to economically treat the tie.

My improved rail chair is designed to eliminate mechanical wear upon the tie and, therefore, increase the life of the tie, and may further be used upon old ties by permitting the spikes to be driven into good fibers a distance beyond the parts normally spike killed and as said old ties will not then need respiking they will last a considerable number of years.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of a tie, a chair constructed in accordance with the invention, and a rail supported thereby. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair, the rail being in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of -the construction shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4

is an end elevation.

Referring to these drawings A designates a tie which may be an ordinary wood tie and B designates an ordinary standard Supported upon the tie A is a base plate 2. which is perforated at its corners for the passage of screw spikes 3, these screw spikes constituting the primary fastenings of the rail. The base plate 2 has the form of a T bar in cross section and is provided with an upwardly extending abutment 4L at each end, these abutments i being disposed at the middle of the plate 2 and extending parallel to the length thereof. Each abutment has a vertical inner face 5 and an inclined outer edge face 6. Each abutment is perforated as at 7 for the passage of a fastening bolt.

Disposed between the abutments and engaging one on each side of the rail B are the rail braces 8. These braces curve downwardly and outwardly so that the upper ends of the braces bear against the rail at the junction of the head with the web thereof while the lower ends of the braces bear against the margin of the base flange. Each rail brace is provided with a laterally projecting extension 9, each extension being formed with a slot 10 extending at right angles to the length of the rail. Each slot 10 is of such width as to snugly fit and embrace the corresponding abutment 4. Each extension 9, is perforated on opposite sides of the slot 10v for the passage of a U-shaped bolt 11, which bolt passes through the perforation 7 in the corresponding abutment. The ends of the bolts are screw threaded to receive the nuts 12 and washers. Preferably the perforations through the extensions, 9. are tapered and tapered plugs 14c are disposed in said perforations.

The operation of my improved rail chair will be obvious from the foregoing description. The braces are disposed on either side of the rail so as to engage the head and base thereof firmly and the extensions fitted over the corresponding abutments. The U- shaped bolts pass through the perforation 7 and the arms, of the bolt extend upward through the perforations, in the extensions 9,. .Vhen the rail is in its, properly adjusts ed position the nuts 12 are turned down, drawing the rail braces downwardly and holding the rail securely in place. The tension upon the bolts will be suflicient to resist any lateral thrust upon the rail while the peculiarform of the rail braces will tend to translate any tipping thrust co nnunicated to the rail to a downward thrust against the rail braces. hen it is desired to'insert a shim the nuts 12 are loosened, a shim 13 of the proper thickness is disposed beneath the rail, and the nuts again clamped down.

It is to be particularly ated that the base plate 2 is of such size that it will cover a will cover up any spike holes formed in the tie by previously driven spikes. Thus this chair may be used on a spike killed tie which would ordinarily be thrown away and the life of the tie prolonged. In the resultant economy so derived the chair pays for itself during this temporary position upon the spiked tie and later the chair may be used with a treated tie, and be practically permanent.

\Vhile it is stated that the chair forming the subject of this application is particularly adapted for use in the northwestern portion of the country, in the lake region and in railway cuts, it will be understood that it is not limited to this use, as the chair, because of its cheapness and strength, is adapted to be used in other situations.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A rail chair comprising a base-plate having an upstanding abutment adjacent one end, a rail brace having a body portion adapted to engage between the head and base flange of a rail and having a lateral horizontal extension engaging said abutment, said extension being disposed above the lower edge of the rail-brace, and means engaging said extension with said abutment and adjusting the extension for permitting vertical adjustment of the rail brace and rail with respect to the bed plate.

2. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments adjacent its ends, said abutments extending in the direction of the length of the base plate, rail braces adapted to engage between the head and base flange of a rail and having integral lateral horizontal extensions slotted to embrace said abutments, and bolts for drawing the rail braces downward toward the base plate.

3. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments adjacent its ends, said abutments extending in the direction of the length of the base plate, rail braces adapted to engage between the head and base flange of a' rail and having integral lateral horizontal extensions slotted to embrace said abutments, and bolts passing through the abutments and engaging the extensions of the raii braces and acting to draw the rail braces downward toward the base plate.

45, A rail chair comprising a base plate having upwardly extending abutments at each end, said abutments extending in the direction of the length of the base plate and each abutment being transversely perforated, rai], braces engaging between the head and base flange of a rail, each rail brace having lateral horizontal extensions, each extension being slotted to embrace. the corresponding abutment, U-shaped bolts, passvery large extent of surface on the tie and ing through the perforations of the abutments, the arms of each bolt extending upward through the extension of the corresponding rail brace on each side of the slot thereof, and nuts engaging said bolts.

5. A rail chair comprising a base plate, oppositely disposed upstanding abutments, rail braces disposed between the abutments, U-shaped bolts passing through the abutments, the arms of the bolts extending upwardly through the rail braces, and nuts on the bolts.

(5. The combination with a tie and rail, of a base plate thereon having an upstanding abutment adjacent each end, the abutments extending lengthwise of the base plate, the distance between said abutments being greater than the width of the rail base, downwardly and outwardly curved rail braces engaging between the head and base flange of a rail, each rail brace having a lateral horizontal extension, each extension being slotted to receive the corresponding abutment, U-shaped bolts passing one through each abutment, the arms of each bolt extending upward and through the extension of the corresponding rail brace on each side of the slot thereof, nuts on the arms of each bolt, and screw spikes passing through the base plate and holding it to the tie.

7. A rail chair comprising a base-plate having an upstanding abutment, a rail brace disposed inward of the abutment, a U-shaped bolt passing through the abutment, the arms of the bolt extending upwardly through the rail-brace, and fastening devices on the bolts.

8. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed upstanding abutments, rail braces disposed between the abutments, and U-shaped fastening devices passing through the abutments and engaging the rail braces for holding a rail in different positions of vertical and lateral adjustment with respect to the base plate.

9. The combination with a cross tie, of a base plate permanently secured to the tie and having upstanding abutments spaced apart a distance greater than the width of a rail base to permit a rail to be supported on said base plate or on a shim, braces disposed between the rail and the abutments and each having an extension embracing the adjacent abutment, and U-shaped fastening devices extending through the abutments and adjacent extensions for holding the rail in different positions of lateral and vertical adjustment with respect to the base plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST Gr. LIEBMANN. [L. s.]

\Vitnesses J. D. YOAKLEY, FREDERIC B. WRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

